While racing was just underway and male pro triathletes were only two kilometres into the bike section at this weekend’s Challenge Davos in Switzerland, pouring rain developed into a heavy thunderstorm. At this point the event organising team concluded that athletes’ safety could no longer be guaranteed – and cancelled the race.
In a release, the organisers noted that… ‘The disappointment among athletes was huge, but at the same time they fully understood the decision just taken by the organization of Challenge Davos: the race had to be cancelled due to very bad weather conditions.
‘Although the disappointment was big, maybe even more among the age groupers that even didn’t have a chance to start Challenge Davos, the organisers were treated with perhaps the best gesture you can get: athletes gathered en masse and gave them a deafening and especially long applause.’
“It goes without saying that this means so much to us,” said Challenge Family CEO Jort Vlam. “And to be honest: it’s something that the Challenge Davos team really deserved. They have done their utmost to put up a great race and have done such a great job.
“It’s wonderful to see athletes recognising and rewarding that with such a beautiful gesture, despite this huge disappointment for them as well. Unfortunately, nobody controls the weather and this was the only right decision to make.”
Due to Covid-19 measures, Challenge Davos was, 27 weeks after Challenge Wanaka, the first race on the 2020 Challenge Family calendar. Including a top pro field, 600 athletes were allowed on the start line.
www.challenge-davos.ch
www.challenge-family.com
